The Ultimate Summer Vacation
by SummerGirl0009
Summary: What Digimon: The Movie left out about Kari and T.K.'s trip to New York City and why they headed there in the first place.
1. Chapter 1

The Ultimate Summer Vacation

**Chapter 1**

"Thanks again for coming with me, T.K." Kari smiled as she fastened her chair's buckle around her waist. The flight attendants were walking up and down the aisles between the passengers, demonstrating the proper method of tightening the seat belt.

"You don't have to thank me, Kari," he replied with a smile. When the flight attendants had passed their row, he stood up to close the overhead apartment where Gatomon and Patamon were going to have to hide during the duration of the flight.

"Are you guys going to be ok up there?" he whispered to them.

"We'll be fine," said Patamon, "Matt gave us a deck of playing cards for the trip."

"I'm going to teach Patamon how to bluff at poker," Gatomon added.

Kari laughed as T.K. reluctantly closed the latch and took his seat.

"Make sure to buckle up you two," the flight attendant said as she made her walked back toward the front of the plane to take her own seat.

T.K. fastened his seat belt and leaned back in his chair. They had a long flight ahead of them. He looked around, as if to make sure no one was listening to their conversation before he asked Kari for the millionth time if she was feeling well.

"Of course I am, silly. Why do you keep asking me that?" Kari asked as innocently as she could manage.

T.K. turned back to face the front, disgruntled at her for not taking his concern seriously. The captain was speaking through the overhead speakers as the plane lurched underneath them, beginning its roll down the tarmac. "No offense, Kari, but you've been acting pretty strangely lately. Is the Dark Ocean bothering you again?"

Kari frowned. "T.K., I already told you that everything is fine. I really wish you would stop asking me."

There was a moment of hesitation while the people in the cabin could feel the plane's small tires leave the ground as the wings were lifted into the air. T.K. agreed to drop the conversation and quit asking her questions, though he did not believe her answers were entirely truthful. He knew her well enough to know when she was not telling him something. Kari had been very quiet since their recent defeat of Malomyotismon.

"So tell me again why you want to visit Mimi in New York?" he asked, as it had been her idea to take this vacation to America to visit their old friend.

Kari smiled, though T.K. could see the strain of it around her mouth. "I just felt like it was a good time to go visit her. After all of the times she came to Tokyo to help us save the digital world, I think going to see her is the least we can do. Besides, I think we deserve a vacation after saving the world."

She spoke as if she had planned the trip with the intention of him joining her, though in reality, he had been the one who insisted upon accompanying her. T.K. knew there was something she wasn't telling him about this trip and about her strange behavior, but he didn't pester her. If there was something she didn't want to tell him, then he would wait. She'd tell him eventually, she always did; they never kept secrets from each other.

By the time the plane had leveled at its optimal height, T.K. was snoring in his seat. Taking advantage of the momentary solitude, Kari turned her attention out her window where white clouds were flying by. She hated keeping things from T.K., he was her best friend, though she was going to keep her secret from him for as long as she could. She blinked away the tears that were forming in her eyes; she couldn't tell him because she wasn't ready to face it yet herself.

Suddenly, the plane lurched and rocked, making Kari jump and cry out in fright. She grabbed T.K.'s arm, jolting him awake. Then the rocking stopped. The captain's voice came back on the intercom advising the passengers to return to their seats as they might feel some slight turbulence.

Kari looked around the cabin, noticing how the other passengers were staring at her. Blushing, she leaned back in her chair, as if to hide from their mocking faces.

T.K. laughed at her. "Geez, Kari, you'd think this was your first time flying."

"It is," she told him. "I mean, it's my first time flying without a digimon."

"Well, there's nothing to be afraid of." She loosened her grip on his arm enough so that he could take her hand in his. "Turbulence is nothing, it happens all the time; the plane's built to handle it. Besides, if anything were to happen, Gatomon and Patamon could just digivolve and save everyone."

Kari smiled, she could picture Angemon and Angewomon carrying the plane to safety with the passenger's faces smashed against the window to get at their angelic rescuers. "They're good heroes."

T.K. leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes to try to fall asleep again so Kari did the same. When the plane lurched again she squeezed his hand, but didn't scream this time. After a few minutes of attempting to find a comfortable position in the torturously small chairs she gave up and let go of T.K.'s hand.

He opened his eyes to see why she broken their contact, but closed them again when she lifted the armrest between their two seats, and laid her head on his chest. He draped his arm around her and they soon drifted off to sleep, momentarily escaping their worries. In sleep, T.K. let go of his worry for Kari, and his curiosity as to her real motivation to fly to America, and Kari let go of her profound fear of what she knew was awaiting them.


	2. Chapter 2

The Ultimate Summer Vacation

**Chapter 2**

"Kari."

"Kari." She knew that voice. She had heard it before. She shivered involuntarily. The last time she had heard it, it had penetrated her mind and spoke to her of terrible things.

"Kari." No, she thought as she realized this voice was much softer, not menacing or frightening. She knew this voice much better than the other one. This voice brought happiness to her, not sadness.

She opened her eyes to see T.K. staring down at her, gently waking her from her nap. Kari sat up and looked around to see that the cabin was almost completely empty, the other passengers already filing out the exit doors. With no one left around them, Gatomon and Patamon had hopped down from the overhead compartment and were staring at her too.

"Having a bad dream?" Gatomon asked. She hadn't told Gatomon her secret either, though the catlike digimon was much more intuitive than she seemed. Gatomon knew something was bothering Kari and even had an idea of what it was, but she knew better than to ask or force what Kari wouldn't freely tell her.

"Nope," Kari smiled, "a good one, actually. Are we in America already?"

"Yep," T.K. told her, grabbing their bags from the compartment. They followed the line of people off the plane, into the terminal, and to the baggage claim. Kari stretched her arms up as she walked, they had been cramped on the plane for the last thirteen hours. It was nice to finally be able to use her legs.

After retrieving their bags, they followed the crowd to the line outside of the U.S. Customs. T.K. and Kari were a little wary as to how they would get their digimon friends through. They debated having them hide in their bags, but the possibility of a search deterred them. The guard looked rather bored as he asked them the typical questions and examined their passports. He didn't give the digimon a second glance, probably assuming they were stuffed toys.

Once past, the four of them sighed together in relief. Beyond another long hallway, it was easy from them to spot where Mimi was waiting for them with her friend Michael, whom they had met before in the digital world during one of their not-so-pleasant encounters with Digitamamon.

"Gosh, it's so nice to see you guys again!" Mimi squealed. She greeted the two of them with giant hugs. Kari was glad to see that Mimi's hair was no longer pink, and back to its natural honey blonde color. "And Gatomon and Patamon came too! I sure wish Palmon were here, I know she'd love to see you guys."

"We just saw her last Tuesday," Patamon told her.

"Yep, we all had lunch at Primary Village," said Gatomon. "She told us to tell you that she loves you and that she can't wait until the next time she sees you."

Mimi looked like she was going to cry, so Kari grabbed her hand as they exited the terminal, leaving T.K. and Michael to carry their bags. "I've really missed you, Mimi."

"I missed you too Kari, I'm so glad you guys decided to come here. Neither of you have ever been to America, have you? What do you want to do first?"

T.K.'s stomach grumbled behind them. "How about lunch?" he asked.

"Lunch?" Gatomon asked. "Don't you mean breakfast?"

Kari looked down at her watch. Their flight had left Tokyo at three o'clock in the afternoon and after the extremely long flight, her watch read that it should be half past three in the morning. When they stepped outside the terminal doors, however, it was bright and sunny.

"What time is it here, Mimi?" Kari asked, already preparing to adjust her watch.

"It's half past two, which means lunch time!" Michael told her as they piled into his small car.

There was a ton of traffic as they drove through the city; Kari didn't think she had ever seen so many yellow taxi cabs in her life. They ate at a very nice restaurant, located in Greenwich Village, Mimi told them, but by the end of the meal T.K. and Kari could barely keep their eyes open. Though they had both slept a while on the plane, they were still on Tokyo time. Michael drove them uptown to Mimi's apartment and helped them carry their bags inside. As they entered the apartment building's elevator, Mimi explained to them how her dad had been very successful since their move to America.

When the elevator doors opened, Kari was expecting to see a hallway, but instead, they were standing in a grand foyer. Beyond the wood paneled walls Kari could see the living room beyond, and many other rooms beyond that.

"Welcome to the penthouse!" Mimi told them, guiding them out of the elevator and into the apartment.

T.K. and Kari looked at each other in amazement. Mimi led them to a guest bedroom where Kari could stay. There was only one bed, so Mimi asked T.K. if he would mind sleeping on the couch.

"We have three other guest rooms," she told him, "But they're all jam packed with my clothes."

T.K. laughed, thinking she was joking, but when he realized she was serious he told her the couch would be just fine.

After they had completed the grand tour of the apartment, which had taken about thirty minutes, Kari hoisted her suitcase onto her bed to begin unpacking. Instead of helping, Gatomon made herself comfortable among the many throw pillows piled on the bed.

"You're not going to help me?" Kari asked her, pouting.

"No, I'm due for my catnap." It seemed that digimon were also affected by the time zone shift.

Kari sat down beside her. "I think you've got the right idea. A nap would be really nice, but I've got to unpack." As soon as her head landed against a soft, frilly pillow, she was sound asleep.

Some hours later, she was woken once again by a voice in the distance. Climbing out of the massive bed, Kari cautiously opened her bedroom door. It was dark now, not a single light shown in the apartment. They were on the top floor of the building, so high up that not even the glow from the street lights could touch the windows.

Kari crept silently down the hallway to the living room, where she suspected the noise was coming from. As she got closer, she realized it was T.K. speaking. He was sprawled out on the couch, a blanket twisted around his body. His brow was glistening with sweat as he spoke aloud again in his sleep.

"No…I have to go…Matt…"

It was then that an interesting thought occurred to Kari. Maybe he already knew what she knew. Maybe he was keeping it from her, thinking to protect her, like she was doing for him. If he already knew then she wouldn't have to lie to him anymore. She felt somewhat more hopeful as she thought about it. It would be such a relief if he knew, she would have someone to share her opinion with and her fears, but what she liked most about it was that it meant she wouldn't have to be the one to break the horrible news to him.

Kari looked around for Patamon, thinking he must've been woken by T.K.'s distress as well, but she found him snoring between the arms of an enormous reclining chair. She took a seat on the plush carpet beside the couch, reaching a hand up to stroke his hair.

"No! Let me go! Matt!" T.K. was shouting now. Not wanting him to wake anyone else, she gripped his shoulder and gently shook him awake.

"T.K., wake up," she whispered to him.

"Huh?" She gave him a moment to remember where he was.

"You were shouting," she told him. "Do you always talk in your sleep?"

"Uhh, no, at least I don't think so." He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he acknowledged her and his surroundings. "What was I saying?" he asked, sitting up.

"You were talking about Matt." They were both silent for a moment. "You know," she told him, "I think we're most vulnerable when we're asleep. When we let our guard down it's easier for the darkness to sneak in."

"I don't know what you mean, Kari. It was just a bad dream."

"What was it about?" she asked, curious now.

"It's kind of fuzzy now," he said. "Matt was in trouble and I was far away, but I knew I had to try to get to him. Every time I tried to go, though, Angemon kept holding me back."

Although Kari was deeply troubled by his dream, she moved to sit on the couch beside him, making it easier for her to look him in the eye.

"T.K., I have to ask you something, and I need you to give me an honest answer."

"Okay, what is it?"

"What do you know about the Sphere of Hope?"

Sadly, she believed the confusion in his face was genuine.  
"I've never heard of it," he told her. "It does sound sort of familiar, though. What is it?"

"It's nothing," she told him, wanting to end this conversation now that she was sure he didn't know anything she didn't. She lay down lengthwise on the couch so he could lay down beside her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him.

"Kari, tell me about the Sphere of Hope," he begged. When she didn't respond he said, "I know you're keeping things from me. At least tell me why we're here? Why did you to visit Mimi so badly?"

"Because," she said, her voice soft as she drifted back to sleep, "We're never going to see her again."


	3. Chapter 3

The Ultimate Summer Vacation

**Chapter 3**

Mimi woke them up early the next morning to take them sightseeing around the city. Their first destination was Central Park, which was fortunate as it turned out to be another bright and sunny day. Kari had her camera out and was constantly taking pictures, although she was nearing the end of her second roll of film. Even the beautiful weather and gorgeous scenery of the famous park, however, couldn't shake T.K.'s nervousness. Kari's words from the night before echoed continuously in his head.

"We're never going to see her again."

What could Kari possibly have meant by that? There were so many possible explanations, T.K. was stuck debating them all day. Of course, there were simple explanations, like perhaps Mimi was moving again and hadn't told him yet. That meant she'd have to be going somewhere extremely exotic and so far away that she wouldn't travel to Japan for a visit. Or someplace that didn't have a computer with access to the digital world. That thought made him discard the simple theories. With Mimi's parents' success in New York it was doubtful they'd be moving again, and even more doubtful that they'd be traveling without a computer.

T.K. didn't want to think about the other explanations, though they were there whispering to him from the back of his mind. The only thing he could do, he thought, would be to ask Kari directly and not accept any more aversions.

Then there was the other thing she had told him. The Sphere of Hope. Just thinking about it sent a shiver up his spine. It seemed so familiar, yet foreign. The feeling it invoked reminded him of a distant memory, like something he should know, yet didn't. Things involving the title "of Hope" usually had something to do with him and Patamon, like the Crest of Hope and the Digi-Egg of Hope. He couldn't think of what use a sphere of hope would be though.

He was startled from his concentration when Kari snapped a picture of him. He couldn't help but smile at her cheerful expression. It had been a long time since he had seen her smile like that.

T.K. looked around for Mimi but she was sprawled across the grass several yards away, sunbathing in the open air.

The words he needed to ask her were sitting right on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't make himself say it. Asking her now would spoil this moment for her. She looked so happy as he watched her bend down to take a picture of Gatomon sitting among a bed of wildflowers.

He sighed and leaned his back against the park bench he was sitting on. Patamon flew beside him.

"Are you alright, T.K.?" his friend asked.

"Yeah, Patamon. Just worried, is all." Patamon landed gently on the bench beside him, following T.K.'s gaze in the direction of Kari and Gatomon.

"You shouldn't worry, T.K.," Patamon said. "The city can be a dangerous place, but Gatomon and I will always be here to protect you."

T.K. smiled down at the digimon as a cloud passed over the sun, abruptly ending Mimi's tanning process.

"We should get going!" she called. "There's still lots to see!"

Their next stop was the Empire State Building, one of the tallest buildings in the world. They rode the elevator all the way up to the eighty-sixth floor, where they stepped out onto one of the world's tallest observatory decks.

The city opened up below them in a sea of grey and white stone buildings, the streets hidden by the enormity of the structures sounding them. Beyond the city lay a quiet murky river, which seemed small and peaceful from the observatory on the eighty-sixth floor, but is actually quite large and steady.

When Mimi wandered around the corner of the building and Patamon and Gatomon were sufficiently distracted by a gumball machine, T.K. took the opportunity to pull Kari aside. Good day or not, his questions couldn't wait any longer. If something bad was going to happen, he couldn't stop it unless he knew what it was he was up against.

"Kari, you have to explain what you said last night. Is Mimi in danger?" he asked.

Kari frowned and shuffled her feet. "No, Mimi's not in danger," she almost whispered.

"Are we in danger? What is going on?" He lost the short reign he had held on his frustration.

Kari bit her bottom lip. "T.K. please, no one is in danger. At least, as far as I know, no one is. I can't tell you anything else."

"What about the Sphere of Hope?" he asked.

She looked up at him, just as frustrated as he was. "T.K., I promise you from the bottom of my heart that I will tell you everything in time." She looked out of the bars and down onto the city. "This isn't the time or the place. Let's just enjoy the time we get to spend here."

T.K. sighed, seeing the wisdom in her words. As much as he wanted to know what was going on, he had to trust her. If she promised to tell him eventually, he had to believe that she would tell him when he needed to know. If she said there isn''t any danger, then he'd have to believe that too. Kari had never lied to him before.

He looked out once again at the city beneath him. If he spent the whole trip worrying about Kari, or Mimi, or everything else he wouldn't be having fun, and that was what they were here for, wasn't it?

That was when he saw it. A fleeting flash of brown between the buildings below. His heart started to race. No, it's not possible, he told himself. To T.K., it had almost looked like a very big digimon was walking down the streets of New York City.

He saw the flash of color again as it passed between two buildings just eighty-six stories down and one block south of where they were looking down upon the city. T.K. was sure this time. It was a digimon! Right here in New York City! But why?

Quickly, he brushed the thought aside as he raced back toward the elevator, and jumped inside. Behind him, Kari, Mimi, Gatomon, and Patamon stood staring in wonder at his dash. Inside the cramped elevator, T.K. waited impatiently as they slowly passed by floor after floor and cursed to himself whenever the lift would stop for passengers to enter or exit.

After what seemed like an eternity, the doors opened onto the main floor. T.K. rudely pushed himself through the crowd and out the building's main entrance. Once outside, T.K. squinted into the light as he tried to get his bearings to determine which direction he had seen the digimon.

Panting, he raced down the sidewalks, dodging pedestrians, bikers, salesmen, and dog walkers. When he came to an intersection he didn't wait for the crosswalk to signal when he could walk, he simply halted until there was a slight break in traffic and then darted into the street. Horns honked and drivers swore loudly at him as they slammed on their breaks to avoid hitting him. He hurried away, afraid that he would be too late.

He didn't stop until he rounded a corner and collided head on with a blond haired boy who was moving just as quickly in the opposite direction. They were of seemingly equal height and weight, so their crash threw them both to the ground.

"Hey, watch it!" the kid said, annoyed, as he climbed to his feet and brushed himself off.

"Sorry," T.K. mumbled as he continued rushing down the sidewalk.

Finally, he turned onto the street he had seen the digimon moving down. He was sure this was the right street, and yet, he didn't see anything. There definitely wasn't a large brown digimon, no frightened people, and no evidence of destruction anywhere.

"T.K.!" Kari yelled as she and the others finally caught up behind him. They were panting as they reached him.

"What happened?" Mimi asked.

"Why did you run away without us?" asked Patamon, landing on the dirty sidewalk below.

"I thought I saw something…" T.K. said, still staring at the ordinary city street. "I guess I must have imagined it."

Kari frowned as she met his eyes, but Mimi laughed. "Must've been the thin air up there on the observatory deck. No more heights for T.K."

T.K. nodded, but even though there was no evidence, he was still sure he had seen something.

"What did you see, T.K.?" Kari asked.

"I don't know," he said. "I know this is crazy, but for a second, I thought I saw a digimon." He laughed. "Mimi must be right about the thin air. I need more oxygen, Patamon and Gatomon are the only digimon here in the city."

"Well, that's not exactly true," Mimi said.

"Huh?" they all asked as they looked at Mimi.

"What I mean is, there are other digi-destineds here. If their digimon are here with them too then Gatomon and Patamon wouldn't be the only ones here," she explained.

T.K. brought his hand to his chin. He hadn't thought about other digi-destineds. It would provide a possible explanation, though not a likely one. "What I saw was big, definitely not an in-training or rookie digimon."

Kari surprised them when she laughed this time. "Whatever it was, it's long gone now, and it doesn't look like it caused much damage, so we probably don't have anything to worry about."

They all agreed that Kari was right, so T.K. gave up searching for a big brown digimon and let Mimi continue their guided tour of the city. T.K., however, had forgotten all about his decision to stop worrying. First, Kari starts acting funny, he thought to himself. Then she tells him about the Sphere of Hope, and that they're never going to see Mimi again. Now he may or may not be seeing big digimon marching around the city. It was just too much of a coincidence, he thought. Somehow, he knew, these things were all related, he just couldn't figure out how.


	4. Chapter 4

The Ultimate Summer Vacation

**Chapter 4**

The next morning, Kari and Gatomon were awoken by the clamor of kitchen utensils and appetizing aromas that drifted through the spacious hallways to their enormous guest bedroom.

Gatomon lifted her nose to the air. "Nothing like waking up to smell the bacon!" she said as she leapt off the bed in search for breakfast.

Kari, on the other hand, took a little more time getting ready than her digital friend before meeting the others in the kitchen. Mimi's mother was standing at the stove, a cookbook propped open on the counter while T.K. and Mimi sat at barstools in front of a spacious granite counter top. Gatomon and Patamon were perched beside them sharing a stool.

"Good morning Kari!" Mimi's mother called. "I'm making French Crepes!"

"My mom's been taking fancy cooking classes," Mimi whispered to her. Kari nodded but didn't complain, whatever she was making smelled delicious.

Kari didn't notice the bag Mimi had set on the floor beside the counter until they were finished eating. Mimi threw the bag over her shoulder and grabbed a large textbook off the kitchen table.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to show you guys around today, but I have school," said Mimi.

"Summer school?" Patamon asked.

"No silly, high school. Our summer vacation doesn't start for another two weeks!"

T.K. gave Kari a surprised glance. Mimi had told Kari that her school was still in session over the phone, of course, but Kari had felt the need to come anyway. She hadn't told T.K. for the fear that he would try to persuade her to delay their trip until Mimi was completely available.

"Anyway," Mimi continued as she headed toward the elevator. "I've left a map and a list of places you guys might want to check out while you're here."

Mimi's mother handed Kari a sheet of paper. "Our home phone number's on there too," she said. "If you guys need anything just give me a call! I'll be here all day!"

The elevator door opened and Mimi stepped inside. "Goodbye! I'll be home around three o'clock! See you later!"

Mimi's mother finished tidying the kitchen and left them alone to T.K.'s angry stare. Kari was saved from confronting him, however, when her D-terminal emitted a loud beeping noise. She rushed to answer it, if only to avoid answering the questions she knew T.K. was getting ready to ask her.

"It's from Davis," she told him as she opened up the email.

"What does it say?" Gatomon asked.

"It says they're at the beach. He's teaching Veemon how to play beach volleyball, and Cody and Upomon are building a sandcastle, and Yolei and Poromon are relaxing in the sun," she read aloud to them. "He says he's sad because Ken couldn't go with them because his soccer team made the national finals and has to compete all week." She showed them the picture he had attached with the message.

T.K. grunted a reply. Although he and Davis were friends, he had never been too happy about Davis' infatuation with Kari.

"It sounds like they're having lots of fun," Patamon said, "is there a beach around here we can go to?"

T.K.'s glare faded as he laughed. "We're near the ocean, but you wouldn't want to go swimming, Patamon."

"It's much too cold," Kari agreed.

"What are we going to do today then if the beach is out?" Gatomon asked.

"What would you guys like to do?" T.K. asked after he read off the list of places to visit Mimi had made for them. "The Museum of Natural History sounds interesting."

"Yeah and it's by the park," Kari pointed it out on the map. "Do you think we could go back? I want to take more pictures there."

"Sure," T.K. said, already in a much better mood than he had been when Mimi left.

Not too much later, they were wandering the streets of New York, hopelessly lost. Gatomon grabbed the map from T.K.'s hands turning it around trying to find anything that looked familiar.

"Do you think we're going in the right direction?" Kari asked.

"I'm not sure," T.K. said peering down at the map in Gatomon's gloved paws. "I don't even know what street we're on."

Gatomon turned the map back over to T.K. as she leapt into Kari's arms. "Let's just keep walking this way and we'll have to recognize something eventually," she said.

"Yeah," T.K. said, "when we see Florida palm trees."

Kari giggled as T.K. folded the map back into a small square and slipped it into his pocket. "It'll be an adventure," she said, fingering the string around her neck that held her camera. When they stopped at the next intersection, she slipped the camera's cover off.

"Let's take a picture!" she said. "We'll call it 'Lost in the Big City.'"

"Ok," T.K. said, "can you send it to my D-3? That way we can send it to Davis and the others."

"You bet!"

He moved to stand behind her but even though the camera flashed, the picture wasn't able to send to his D-terminal.

"Let's try again," Kari said.

"Ok," T.K. replied, setting up the camera once more. "Ok, here we go," he moved to stand behind her once again, "Smile!"

Again the camera flashed but and at the same time an error message popped up on his D-3.

"It didn't go through?" Kari asked.

"No," T.K. said, picking up the device to examine it.

"What's wrong with it?" Kari asked.

"I don't know." He could find anything wrong with the camera or the D-3, but the picture still wouldn't send. "It says all lines are busy. There must be some sort of electrical surge."

"So what do you think we should do now, T.K.?" Taking pictures had been the whole reason she had wanted to go to the park in the first place. Besides, she noticed the clouds were getting thicker, almost completely blocking the sun, and the wind was picking up.

"How about lunch?" Gatomon asked.

Kari was about to remind her that it had only been an hour since breakfast, but she got a funny feeling in her stomach. She looked up to see the neon signs of the convenient store across the street from them flickering. Then she heard a noise that almost sounded like a growl.

"Hey, did you guys hear that?" she asked, feeling more than a little anxious.

T.K. gave her a blank look, "Did we hear what?"

Uh oh, Kari thought, maybe she was hearing something in her head like the last time. Gatomon blinked her big blue cat eyes at her. This didn't feel like last time, this felt much worse. The voice she had communicated with before had been deep and menacing but not evil.

"I'm getting the feeling that there's something really strange out there, but I'm not quite sure what it is yet," she told the others truthfully. "It needs our help, though." She surprised even herself when she said that; she couldn't exactly pinpoint how she knew, but she just did.

There was a noise above them and they both turned their heads to look up. A "One Way" street sign above them was twisting on its pole, seemingly of its own accord. A mailbox crashed off to their right.

That definitely qualified as strange. "I hate it when I'm right," Kari said. A streetlight flickered overhead. She had a funny feeling that a digimon was causing the destruction. If there was a digimon here in the city they had to find it!

She started running, not really sure where to, just following the invisible wrecking ball and electrical surges.

"Hurry, T.K.," she called, urging him to follow her. "It's over this way!"

She was in such a hurry she almost ran right past it, and probably would have if T.K. hadn't stopped. There in an alley was the same digimon he had thought he had seen from the top of the Empire State Building. He had been right about the size, it was enormous! Huge and brown, with big gorilla like arms and long yellow hair. What was even more unusual was the blond boy standing in front of it.

When Kari turned around and caught up to her, he said, "A digimon."

"I'm not sure it is a digimon," she said.

"All right, tell me," the boy said to it, "what do you want?"

The digimon opened its huge mouth to say, "Go back." And then it disappeared. Kari gasped. She had never seen a digimon disappear before. When they died they sort of dissolved gradually into little pieces of data, they never just disappeared like that.

T.K. stared in wonder, gripping the fence. "It vanished." He rattled the chain link fence and yelled, "Hey, kid!" He recognized the boy as the same one he had crashed into the day before chasing after the digimon.

The boy looked up, surprised to see them standing there.

"Come here!" Kari urged, wanting to know not only about the boy and the rabbit-like digimon at this side, but also about the huge vanishing monster.

The boy didn't listen to Kari, however, but simply scooped up his digimon and ran in the opposite direction. "Don't follow me!" he yelled back to them. "You're in danger!"

Kari wanted to run after him but there was no break in the fence.

"Leave it to me," Patamon said, "I'll find out where he's going." He flapped his wings and flew over the fence in pursuit of the boy and his digimon.

"What does he mean we're in danger?" T.K. asked Kari suspiciously. Maybe he and Kari both knew something he didn't; if only she would tell him.

"All I know is," Kari said honestly, "he needs help."

They didn't have to wait long for Patamon to return. He told them everything the boy had said to his digimon, Terriormon, and that they were headed someplace called Colorado.

"Colorado!" T.K. said, "That's a long way from here!"

"We have to go, T.K.," Kari said, "we have to help him."

T.K. felt a shiver all of a sudden. "Kari, does this have anything to do with the Sphere of Hope? Or the other things that you won't tell me?"

"I don't know, T.K. I just know that we can't let him face that big digimon alone. We're needed, I can feel it. Don't you feel it too?"

He did feel it, which is why he felt so uncomfortable about everything. "What are we going to tell Mimi?" Kari smiled, glad for both his approval and agreement.

"How about the truth?" Gatomon asked.

"We can email her on the way," Kari said.

"And how exactly are we getting there?" T.K. asked. "We need to think this through."

"We can take the subway," Patamon said. "That's where the boy was heading."

"Patamon the subway doesn't go to Colorado. We need an airplane, or a bus, or a train." T.K. told him.

"The train!" Kari said, "T.K. get the map out, let's find the closest train station."

T.K. sighed. Sometimes he wondered just how he got himself into these things.


	5. Chapter 5

The Ultimate Summer Vacation

**Chapter 5**

T.K. wanted to bang his head against the wall as he stared at the map he had just been handed. It looked they were going to have to stop and switch trains in Chicago, which happened to be a nineteen hour long train ride away. And it would be eighteen more hours from Chicago to Denver! They'd be spending two whole days on trains! Not to mention how expensive the fare was going to be!

"Kari how are we going to afford this?" he reminded her. Neither of them had brought much extra money as traveling beyond New York had definitely not been part of their plan.

"I have my dad's credit card," she told him, "in case of emergencies, of course."

"I think an evil digimon qualifies as an emergency," Gatomon said before both T.K. and Kari could shush her.

Fortunately, the man behind the counter who had been helping them arrange their tickets didn't seem to notice the talking cat digimon. When he gave them the total T.K.'s eyes almost popped out of his head.

"What? Maybe we should fly instead. Air plane tickets are bound to be cheaper than that."

The service man gave them a tight lipped smile, "I think you'll find that this is quite a bargain. With all the electrical surges lately the airport has been having countless difficulties. The only likely people flying out of here today are military personnel."

Kari accepted the price and gave the man her father's plastic card. "Maybe we can work out a payment plan to pay him back later. I'm sure he'll understand."

T.K. wasn't so sure, but he went along with her like he usually did. After they received their tickets, they headed further into Penn Station, following the large signs directing them to the platform where their Amtrak train was now boarding. With what they had heard about the airport's technical difficulties, they were not at all surprised to see the station jam packed with people leaving the city.

Inside the train was just as crowded as the station, so Patamon and Gatomon hid once again in the storage compartment to avoid any unwanted attention. When they had taken their seats in the packed car, Kari began composing a message to Mimi. When she was finished she handed her D-terminal to T.K. so he could read what she had written.

"Dear, Mimi," it read. "Right now T.K. and I are on our way to Colorado where we expect to find an evil digimon and a digi-destined who needs our help. Don't worry about us; we will be perfectly safe with Patamon and Gatomon looking after us. Thanks again for your hospitality! If everything goes well we will be returning to the city in no time! Sincerely, Kari. P.S. I would also greatly appreciate it if you didn't mention our detour to Tai…you know how overprotective of me he can be sometimes."

T.K. smiled at the last part. Although Tai probably wouldn't approve of the two of them taking off across the country chasing a dangerous digimon, T.K. knew that if he were here, he'd be the first one to suggest it. If Tai were here, he'd probably be running around helping everyone board so they could depart faster and get a move on. He looked around at all of the passengers seemingly moving in slow motion walking around the train and the platform, taking their time finding their seats and stowing their luggage. No, Tai's patience would have run out quite a bit ago, T.K. thought to himself.

After what seemed like an eternity waiting for people to finish boarding, the train finally lurched into motion and pulled away from the station.

"So, what do you want to do for the next nineteen hours?" Kari asked him.

"I don't know," T.K. admitted, already bored with the uneventful train ride, babies crying, and people talking loudly all around him. "I feel really bad for Patamon and Gatomon though for having to sit up there the whole time." He motioned to the compartment above their heads.

"Maybe we can sneak them down later when people start to fall asleep," Kari suggested.

A few hours later the sky outside the train's windows darkened and the lights inside the car dimmed so people could catch some sleep. When the elderly couple sitting across the aisle from them joined the sleepers in dreamland, T.K. stood up from his seat, pretending to stretch his legs. He unfastened the compartment's latch slowly as not to draw attention and rummaged through the bags crammed in the small space. When he pulled down a bulging, very heavy looking duffel bag, Kari scooted over in her seat so she was as close to the window as possible. T.K. placed the bag on the seat between them and opened it to reveal two not very happy digimon.

"It's about time," they muttered. T.K. turned his back to the aisle, using his body to block the digimon from view.

"What did you tell Mimi?" Gatomon asked.

"The truth," Kari told her.

"How did she take it?" asked Patamon.

"Pretty well," T.K. said, "for Mimi, at least." Mimi had sent a fuming response to Kari's message about a second after Kari had pressed the "send" button.

"That bad, huh?" said Gatomon.

"I think she understands," Kari added. "She is a digidestined, after all."

They chatted for a while in soft undertones hoping no one would hear the multiple voices coming from their seat. When the two digimon were snoring peacefully on their partner's laps, T.K. turned to Kari.

"Kari, are you sure this is a good idea?" Even in the darkness T.K. could see the blurred images of tall trees whirring past the train's windows. "I just mean that going to Colorado isn't something you should do spontaneously."

Kari nodded in reply, but turned her head to stare at the moon overhead just above the treetops.

"How do you know for sure that this kid needs us?" T.K. continued, "What if we get there and that digimon isn't evil at all? What if all this is for nothing?"

Kari couldn't deny that she had had the exact same thoughts earlier in the day. "I just know he needs our help. I can't explain it, T.K., I just feel it. Don't you?" she asked him. "Do you ever get that feeling when you know something's going to happen? Like knowing things, feeling things, that no one else does?"

T.K. was at a loss for words. The truth was that he understood exactly what she meant. When Kari had decided to go to New York City, she had thrown the digidestined team in an uproar. Everyone said that the city was a dangerous place for her to go on her own, even with, and maybe even especially with, Mimi's company. But he knew she wouldn't be alone, she would never be alone. As soon as she had said it, he had known that he was going with her. He had felt it. He had felt that going with her was where he was supposed to be. Everyone thought he wanted to go because he had a crush on her or that he wanted to be alone with her without Davis around. Well, they were right about that too, but that was beside the point.

"What if you're wrong this time?" he asked her.

She smiled faintly. "I'm never wrong." She wrapped one of the train company's thin blankets around herself. "Maybe we should try to get some sleep."

He agreed, letting her lean on his shoulder as she drifted off to sleep. When they woke the next morning, the train was stopped at Union Station, in Chicago. Patamon flew up to rest on top of T.K.'s heads as he hoisted the now much lighter duffel bag over his shoulder. They had breakfast in the station as they waited the short hour and a half before their next train departed for Denver.

The second train was thankfully much less crowded than the first. As they boarded they even managed to find a completely empty car, which greatly pleased Gatomon and Patamon, as it meant there would be no reason for them to hide this time.

It was a bright sunny day when the car left Chicago's station. Both T.K. and Kari were surprised with how soon the scenery changed from city buildings to country hills and farms.

"I feel like all we've done on this trip is sit around," Gatomon said, already tired of the passing countryside.

"Me too, Gatomon," Kari said, "but it's important that we save our strength for when we get to Colorado."

"I hate not knowing what we're getting into," T.K. said.

"Whatever it is," Patamon said, "I'm sure we'll be ready for it."

Kari nodded as she met T.K.'s eyes. A small stroke of fear struck her. What if Patamon was wrong, what if they weren't ready? Would the two of them be enough? Sure, they had all sorts of good forces on their side, but what if T.K. was onto something last night and she really was wrong this time?

Quickly, she pulled out her D-terminal. "I'm sending an email to Davis and the others," she told them. It took her just minutes to compose a quick summary of what they had seen in New York. "I told them to meet up with us. We could really use their help, and I'm sure he misses me." Kari couldn't help but to add that last line teasingly, making T.K. groan and roll his eyes.

She knew the last thing T.K. wanted was to face Davis again so soon. Let's just say that their spiky haired leader had not been glad to see Kari leave for a vacation alone with T.K. Even he couldn't deny, though, that recruiting the others to join them was probably for the best.

T.K. had more to say on the topic of their friend Davis, but he was cut off by a startlingly bright pink light that filled their train car. Kari gasped as she realized it was coming from her D-3.

"Look! My digivice!" she said.

"Whoa!" T.K. said, standing up when he realized the source of the light as well. All of a sudden, the train started slowing down, though they were still hours away from their destination. "What's happening to the train?" he asked. It was as if they had entered a tunnel of pink light. The whole train was absorbed in the glow, bright bursts of white streaming past the windows.

"I don't think this is the entertainment portion of the trip," T.K. said, staring out at the brightness. Then he saw it. There was a dark shape moving out there. And it was growling.

Kari whipped around in her seat and gasped as she saw it too. It was the same digimon from the city, just as tall and menacing as it had been before. She stood up beside T.K. while Gatomon and Patamon tensed, ready to digivolve if it seemed a fight was unavoidable. T.K. and Kari gripped their digivices just in case and T.K.'s terminal emitted alight just as bright as Kari's.

"Don't interfere!" the digimon growled at them, opening its mouth wide as it spoke to reveal pearly white, almost humanlike teeth.

Then, all of a sudden, the train slammed its breaks, sending T.K. hurtling down the aisle past the empty seats. When the train reached its complete stop, Kari struggled to right herself from where she had been pitched over the seat infront of her.

"There's definitely something different about this digimon," Kari said as T.K. picked his white bucket hat up off the floor where it had fallen. What kind of digimon could make their digivices act like that? Or stop speeding trains?

"We're not moving," he noted. "Where are we?" He could see mountains far off in the distance, though if he remembered his geography lessons correctly, they should still be far away from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Kari pressed her face against the window. It seemed that they had stopped on top of a rickety wooden bridge. "Don't interfere?" she repeated. "I don't think that digimon wants us to get to Colorado."

"What do we do now?" Gatomon asked, the fur on her back standing on edge, very similar to a startled or angry house cat.

T.K. was once again cut off from replying when the train lurched forward once more, throwing him back down the aisle, this time towards the rear of the car and forcing Kari back against her seat. Though she couldn't see the digimon from the window, she could still hear its growling close by.


	6. Chapter 6

The Ultimate Summer Vacation

**Chapter 6**

Just as soon as the train got moving, it stopped again. From outside, Kari could somehow sense that this wasn't the last of the huge brown digimon. There was a roar from some distance behind their car and the unmistakable screams of terrified people. T.K. followed Kari as she yanked open the door and jumped off the train onto a wooden plank of the bridge beneath them.

"Be careful, Kari!" T.K. shouted to her, just as her foot slipped between two of the boards.

She screamed, struggling to hold herself up onto the tracks with just her arms, her feet dangling above the chasm. Below her lay a bright blue river hundreds of feet away. T.K. knew he had to act quickly and lowered himself carefully down onto the tracks, not letting go of the train door with his right hand in case he should fall as well. If he could just pull the door open a little bit further, he might be able reach her.

Before he could try anything dangerously heroic, Gatomon leapt into the pink light shining once again from Kari's digi-vice.

"Gatomon armor digivolve to Nefertimon! The angel of light!"

Kari let go of the tracks, landing somewhat gracefully onto Nefertimon's back as she swooped beneath Kari's dangling legs. Once Patamon had armor digivolved as well, he and T.K. joined Kari and Nefertimon in the sky above the train.

Up in the air they could see where the mysterious digimon was standing just beside the latter half of the train, which hadn't yet crossed onto the bridge yet. The two winged digimon surged forward to stop their foe as he raised a mighty paw in preparation for attack.

They paused in midair, however, when a huge white four legged beast darted out of the forest and hurtled right into the big digimon.

"What was that?" T.K. asked, watching as the two creatures rolled out of sight.

"I think it was our reinforcements," Pegassusmon replied.

There was a line of explosions clearly marking where the two monsters were battling.

"Should we follow them?" Kari asked hesitatingly.

"If we don't we may never find out who it is," pointed out Nefertimon.

With everyone in agreement, they took off following the destruction pattern in the tall trees. Instead of finding two digimon dueling, however, they found only one. A great white tiger-like digimon with blue stripes and humongous paws sat in the middle of a grassy clearing picking at its steel claws. Nefertimon and Pegassusmon circled the clearing before landing gently on the grass in front of the digimon.

"Is it gone?" Kari asked, referring to the digimon that followed them from New York.

"Yes," the great digimon said, lifting its head to study them.

"Who are you?" Gatomon asked, having de-digivolved back to her usual form.

"I am Baihumon, the Guardian of the West. I believe you have met my friend Azulongmon, the Guardian of the East."

"Guardian of the West," T.K. repeated, straining to remember their brief encounter with Azulongmon though it had not been all that long ago. "What are you doing in our world?" Azulongmon was one of the four guardians of the digital world, he remembered. The rest of the conversation was rather vague in his mind, as he had been pretty distracted at the time what with cleaning up the control spires, hiding Destiny Stones, and trying to stop BlackWarGreymon from destroying the digital world.

Baihumon brushed aside T.K.'s question as he continued to study the two humans and two seemingly very small digimon in front of him.

"I am here to protect, as always," he finally said. "You have journeyed far Hope and Light. Yes, I know who you are and why you are here, and I must urge you to reconsider the path you have chosen. The digimon who I have hopefully frightened away for now is Wendigomon. He once was Kokomon, a chosen digimon like yourselves," he said to Patamon and Gatomon, "but was corrupted by an evil virus. It is up to his partner Willis to save him. Your strength will not be enough to help him."

"You're wrong," Kari said. T.K. turned openmouthed, to stare at her. Opposing a great digimon like Baihumon who could crush them with one swipe of his paw did not seem like a very good idea to him. "We will do everything we can to help him. We will save Kokomon."

Kari was shaking as Baihumon stared into her eyes. She felt like he was examining her, judging her, testing her. His teeth were bared, clearly angry with her defiance. T.K. was braced for the growl that was surely to come from behind those sharp pointy teeth, but was surprised when Baihumon released a deep throaty chuckle instead.

"I see Azulongmon was right about you. Although I cannot approve, I must value your persistence. Perhaps, if I may, I can offer you some assistance on this needless quest."

Kari smiled in relief, extremely glad not to have ended up being Baihumon's dinner.

"In order to succeed, you will need the Golden DigiEggs."

They waited for further instructions, but eventually she realized that that was all he was going to say on the subject. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gatomon and Patamon exchange glances and she knew that Baihumon was speaking to them privately, probably about how to use or find these Golden DigiEggs. T.K., however, did not notice and looked extremely confused.

"You better go now," Baihumon told them. "The train is almost ready to continue."

Kari looked up, startled, she had forgotten about the train until then. "Thank you for your help, Baihumon," Kari said. "We really appreciate it."

He interrupted her, however, insisting they hurry not to miss their train. "Run," he told them, so they did. They sprinted back through the trees, Patamon flapping furiously above their heads, Gatomon racing on all fours beside them.

When they finally reached the tracks, they unfortunately found that Baihumon had been right. The train was moving slowly but quickly gaining speed. They ran alongside the train until they reached a door that Patamon was able to pull open for them. T.K. and Gatomon were able to pull themselves into the car beside Patamon, but Kari struggled to keep up.

"Grab my hand!" T.K. yelled back to her. The train was moving fast now, and they were nearing the bridge. With just a few feet of land left before the chasm opened up, Kari jumped, reaching out for T.K.'s outstretched arm.

Luckily, they managed to clasp hands just as the track beneath them changed from gravel and dirt to the open wooden planks of the bridge. Kari found herself dangling over the water once more before T.K. hoisted her back through the door and into the car. Once she was solidly inside the compartment, T.K. threw the door shut and collapsed beside Kari on the floor.

"That was close," he said.

"Too close," Gatomon finished.

They wiped the sweat from their brows as she climbed to their feet. When they opened the door to the car, however, they were surprised to find it scattered with people. There was a moment of hesitant silence as the very frightened people noticed the sweaty teenagers and their digimon. Kari froze for a second, unsure of how to get Gatomon and Patamon through to their car without being seen.

She discovered that her worry was for nothing as the people around her began clapping. T.K. and Kari exchanged skeptical looks. Were they applauding them?

The ovation continued until one woman stepped out, holding a small child against her chest. "You saved us from that monster. You saved us!" It took her a while to realize that the woman was not addressing her and T.K., but rather Gatomon and Patamon. Kari could have sworn she saw a blush cross Gatomon's white furry cheeks as she protested that it had not been them. The civilians did not seem to care, however, as they continued their clapping and cheering.

Kari scooped Gatomon into her arms and made her way up the aisle of thankful people. T.K. and Patamon followed a step behind her, unnerved by the reactions of everyone around them. When they reached their empty car, Kari gladly threw herself down into her seat.

"That was new," Patamon said.

"Yeah, usually people just scream and run when they see us," Gatomon pointed out.

T.K. laughed as he sat down beside Kari. The train was moving at top speed once again, the light fading outside the windows as the sun began to set. They settled into silence, though each was still thinking about the day's events and their encounter with Baihumon.

T.K. couldn't help but wonder what would make Baihumon leave the digital world? Was it because of Wendigomon? Was Wendigomon such a threat to their world that he was jeopardizing the digital world as well? But if that were so why wouldn't Baihumon want them to help Willis defeat him?

There was something strange about the situation, T.K. decided, though he figured he might as well just put it from his mind like everything else that had happened lately he didn't understand. It was no use wasting the energy when no one would ever tell him what was going on.

He closed his eyes, hoping to get some rest. Besides getting used to being confused, this trip had also gotten him used to sleeping in moving vehicles and spending long time periods cramped in small spaces.

He was almost asleep when a thought struck him. He had been trying to remember the day they had met Azulongmon and he had remembered something crucial!

"Kari! Wake up!" He gripped her shoulder and pulled her awake.

She clutched at her digi-vice, prepared for another attack. "What is it? Is Wendigomon back?"

"No, I've just remembered! The Sphere of Hope! Azulongmon! When we met him he told us that he's the Guardian of the East and the Keeper of the Spheres of Light and Hope!"

Kari merely nodded, as if he had just told her that the sky was blue or that grass was green.

"Well? Don't they have to do with his cores or something?"

"Yes, T.K.," she said. "It has a great deal to do with his cores." Gatomon and Patamon watched her as the three of them waited for her to tell them what she knew. "Without the Spheres, Azulongmon or his cores wouldn't exist. Without them, nothing good would exist. Without them, there would only be darkness and evil."

"How do you know about this?" T.K. asked.

"He told me," she said. "Azulongmon told me."

T.K. exchanged a glance with Patamon and Gatomon. It seemed that this was news to them as well.

"It was right after we defeated MaloMyotsimon," she continued, "everyone was so happy and celebrating our victory. I wanted to be happy too so I pretended, though I knew something was wrong. One of my feelings, I guess. Gatomon explained to me that there was no way MaloMyotismon could still be alive, which reassured me a little, but I still had a bad feeling.

"Then one day he was in my head, talking to me. I didn't know who it was at first and I was afraid before he revealed himself. I'm sorry I didn't tell any of you this sooner."

Gatomon reached out to lay a paw on Kari's clenched hands. "It's ok, Kari, we forgive you," she said.

Kari laughed. "I didn't want to worry you. I knew you would say that hearing voices in my head isn't a good sign. I thought it was the Dark Ocean at first, and I knew if they wanted to take me there again you wouldn't be able to stop them.

"It wasn't the Dark Ocean though. Azulongmon introduced himself and I was very relieved. Well, relieved that it wasn't something evil trying to possess me again. I was still worried that something was terribly wrong in the digital world, though. He said that we were successful at driving away the darkness, just as Gatomon had told me, but he knew that I wasn't at peace.

And then I just knew, though I hadn't before speaking to him. I knew that even though MaloMyotismon was long gone, others would return. Where there is light there is darkness."

"We'll be ready for them, Kari," T.K. said. "We've defeated the Dark Masters, Apocalymon, and now MaloMyotismon."

"And we'll have help from the other digi-destineds around the world," Patamon added.

"I know," Kari said. "I told him that we would keep fighting."  
"What did he say?" T.K. asked.

Kari hesitated for a moment. "That's when he told me about the Spheres. I guess a long time ago, before the first digi-destineds, Myotismon tried to destroy the Spheres of Light and Hope, but he failed. He underestimated the power of the forces of good and was almost destroyed in the process. You see," she continued, "the Spheres are kept in vessels. Sacred vessels. Myotismon couldn't touch the Spheres, but he destroyed the vessels, and so greatly disturbed the balance of the digital world."

"What does that mean?" T.K. asked. "The digital world is at peace now, isn't it? What happened to the Spheres?"

Patamon and Gatomon were fighting their drooping eyelids. He could tell Kari was growing weary as well as she smiled a frail smile and whispered, "They're safe. For now."

.


	7. Chapter 7

The Ultimate Summer Vacation

**Chapter 7**

Carefully, T.K. gripped Kari's left hand to help her down the tall steps off the train and onto the station's wooden platform. Reaching back through the door, he grabbed their small backpacks and turned around to face Kari and the two digimon.

"What do we do now?" Patamon asked, looking around.

The train station looked reminded them of something from an old American cowboy movie. The grimy planks that made up walls the shabby building were faded and worn by the weather, the pain chipped and peeling. What was most unnerving about it, however, was the emptiness. No one else had gotten off the train at this stop and, unlike New York, there were no people milling about. A discarded newspaper blew across the platform in front of them like tumbleweed in the desert. With the lonely majestic mountains in the background, it definitely looked like the set of a western ghost town.

"I'm not sure," Kari said. "Davis and the others were supposed to meet us here." She looked down at her D-3 to see if Davis had sent a message. The words No Signal flashed across the screen. T.K. tried his as well but received the same error message.

"Maybe they're still on their way?" Gatomon suggested.

T.K. gestured to a creaky wooden bench alongside the old building. "I guess we should wait then." They took a seat on the bench as the train blew a long shrill whistle before chugging away from the station.

When it was gone, the four of them sat facing the bleak landscape on the other side of the tracks. Kari blinked once. And then, where there had just been empty scenic mountains, there was a great white figure standing four-legged in front of them. It crossed the tracks in one great leap of its muscular legs before turning broadside in front of them.

"Baihumon!" they exclained, surprised to see him.

"Come," he said in his deep voice. "Climb onto my back. You are late."

"Late for what?" T.K. asked as he clambered onto Baihumon's wide back.

"There is a battle about to take place. Your friends need you."

"Davis and the others!" Kari gasped.

"Hold on tight," Baihumon instructed them. "We've no time to waste if you are to succeed."

Somewhat awkwardly, T.K. grabbed hold of a metal spike protruding from Baihumon's spine while Kari scooted close behind him. He felt his face flush as Kari placed her arms around his waist.

As soon as they were secure, Baihumon took a great leap forward towards the mountains, running so fast even Imperialdramon would have been hard pressed to keep up. His gait was so smooth it felt as if his feet weren't even touching the ground in between enormous strides. Kari pressed herself tight against T.K.'s body but it didn't bother him as his thoughts focused around hanging on for their lives. The one thought that did penetrate his terror was the confusion as to why the guardian was so determined to help them with something he did not approve of them doing.

If he had changed his mind, he did not show it when he stopped in front of a sloping hill. He did not seem pleased as he ordered them to climb down from his back.

"This is where we part," he told them, somewhat unenthusiastically. "There is a field on the other side of this hill where your friends are already in battle against Wendigomon." He turned to face Gatomon and Patamon. "Remember my instructions about the Golden Digi-Eggs and you will have the tools you need to defeat the virus for good."

They departed once again with Baihumon and turned towards the hill, where, sure enough, they could hear the sounds of a battle taking place on the other side.

"Maybe we should digivolve now," Patamon suggested.

"Wendigomon might not know we're here yet so we can surprise him," said Gatomon. Kari and T.K. quickly agreed, and when they had successfully digivolved into Angemon and Angewomon, they hurriedly took off toward the battle that awaited them.

It seemed that they were just in time, too. Veemon, Hawkmon, Armadillomon, and Terriormon were all fighting in their rookie forms. What they were fighting, however, was no longer Wendigomon. The brown digimon they had seen in New York and on the train must have digivolved. If they had thought Wendigomon was big, this guy was enormous. Tall and purple, he looked almost clownlike. Or like a big stuffed animal, Kari thought, a very dangerous big stuffed animal.

"Hand of fate!" Angemon yelled, interfering just in time to save the purple digimon from eating their rookie friends. Swooping low, the two angel digimon slashed at his arms. Below Davis and Yolei called out to their friends.

"Sorry we're late!" T.K. yelled as they ran to keep up with their digimon who had flown ahead. "We'd've been here sooner but our plans got derailed!" Despite the current situation, Yolei, Cody, and Davis gave them a very cheerful greeting.

"Yeah! Kari, you made it!" Davis yelled, throwing his hands into the air.

"Gatomon and Patamon were worried so they digivolved into Angewomon and Angemon," Kari explained, stopping to look up to where the two winged digimon were still fighting against their attacker.

What once was Wendigomon emitted a large black ball from his mouth which he sent zooming straight towards Angewomon who was swift enough to dodge it. "Celestial arrow!" she called, firing an arrow straight into him. The force of the blow caused his left arm to completely sever from his body where Angemon had previously wounded him. Unfortunately, the limb flew across the sky straight towards Angewomon.

More of the black beads were flung when the arm fell away. Those must be parts of the virus, Kari thought, as she watched them fly towards Angemon who easily deflected them with his staff.

Then, suddenly, he disappeared again. The ground beneath them which had been rocky was now covered in a lush grassy field and the sky darkened abominably overhead.

"Either this is an eclipse or we're in trouble," Davis said looking around them.

"I'm not supposed to be out after dark," said Cody.

Yolei shivered and hugged her arms to her chest. "It's cold."

Wendigomon's evolved form materialized again in front of them, though his arm was now reattaching to his body.

"Look!" Davis said, "His wounds are healing."

He was right. All of the black beads were now flowing back into Wendigomon, sealing the slashes and healing the marks Angemon and Angewomon had made. The air seemed to shiver in front of him.

"It's gotta be that virus inside of him!" said Veemon, preparing himself for another attack.

Kari turned around to see Yolei trying desperately to hold back the tiny winged Poromon. "Poromon," she said while he fought her grip, "there's nothing you can do. Stay here."

"Huh?" Willis said, looking confused. "Davis, what's happening to you?"

Kari followed his gaze. Poromon wasn't the only tiny one around anymore. Where Davis had been standing stood a young boy, maybe six or seven years old, running in his baggy clothes. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size, you big bully!" the young Davis called out, revealing a gap in his mouth where he was missing his front teeth.

"Kokomon's making time go backwards," T.K. said, looking around at the younger versions of Yolei and Cody as well. "Everybody's getting younger."

"Davis! You're a baby!" Willis yelled as he ran towards him.

"Huh?" Davis asked, turning to face him. "Who are you calling a baby, you baby!" He looked down at himself and screamed in surprise. "I'm a baby! Look!"

"Back to the beginning," Willis repeated.

"Willis, back to the beginning didn't mean go back to Colorado," Davis figured out.

"It means go back in time to when the virus first attacked Kokomon!"

"That's it!" Angemon said, spinning his staff as he and Angewomon flew in to attack.

"We have to stop him," Angewomon said. "Before you know it we'll be changing diapers."

Behind them Poromon was finally managing to escape Yolei's small child arms. "Let me go!"

Yolei threw herself on top of him to stop him. "I'm sorry, but you're grounded."

Davis and Cody began crying.

"This is it, Angemon," said Angewomon. "Baihumon was right, we don't have the strength to defeat him. The new digimon will have to use the power of the Golden Digi-Eggs."

Kari watched from below, her own body growing younger like the others.

"Come on," Angemon replied. "We have to digivolve to our mega forms so we can release the Golden Digi-Eggs!"

There were streaks of bright lights as Angemon warped digivolved to Seraphimon and Angewomon digivovled to Magnadramon.

Kari and T.K. gasped. They had never seen their digimon's mega forms. "Oh wow," T.K. said in his childhood high pitched voice, "Aren't they beautiful?"

Wendigomon sprang forward for an attack.

"Hurry! Here comes!" shouted Magandramon, flying in graceful circles around Seraphimon.

Kari felt something tense inside her as Wendigomon struck, knocking the two mega digimon from the sky.

"We did it!" Patamon said. Kari watched two beams of light soar from the sky into Davis' and Willis' hands.

"We released the Golden Digi-Eggs. Now the others can Golden Armor Digivovle!" Gatomon cried. Kari ran forward clumsily to help Gatomon. It was much harder to run when your legs were shortening. She was relieved to find that although she was slightly winded, she hadn't sustained any injuries.

Sitting back, they watched now as Veemon and Terriormon took on Wendigomon. When they had unlocked the Golden Digi-Eggs, they were able to digivolve into Magnamon and and Rapidmon.

"Is that the coolest thing you've ever seen, or what?" said Gatomon. Kari stared open mouthed, she had seen a lot of cool things in her short lifetime, but this was topping the charts.

There were a few close calls, but thankfully, with the help of the Golden Digi-Eggs, six digi-destineds were able to destroy the virus inside of Kokomon and they could return to the real time. It was a very emotional battle for Willis, as he believed that Kokomon had been destroyed in the process. When Davis explained to him that digimon don't die, they're only reconfigured his mood brightened considerably.

During this conversation, Kari couldn't help but steal a sidelong glance at T.K. who was standing beside her with Patamon gripped tightly in the crook of his arm. She knew that he had lost Patamon in a fight once and that the memory of it still greatly disturbed him. His face was stoic, however, until Davis and Willis began to discuss their options for the more immediate future.

She couldn't resist slipping her hand into his as they turned to head away from the flowery battlefield. He squeezed her hand in response, sharing in her exhaustion. It had taken much of their energy as well as the digimon's for Angemon and Angewomon to access the Golden Digi-Eggs.

"Davis, are you sure this is the right direction?" Cody asked after they had been wandering for almost an hour. Yolei had decided for them that the best plan would be to contact her uncle the bus driver to get a ride back to New York City.

After just a few misguided directions (mostly on Davis's part) and a generous lift from a local farmer, they made it to the bus station just before the last bus of the day was departing eastward.

If Kari hadn't been so tired she would have been excited to begin another journey with her friends despite the long bus ride ahead of them. Gatomon had been right, Kari thought, all we've done this trip is sit around.

Just an hour into the bus ride, however, Kari was longing for T.K.'s companionship. Sitting next to Yolei was almost unbearable as all she kept doing was asking questions and wanting to gossip with her about their vacation before Colorado. Kari soon quit trying to hold her eyelids open, hoping Yolei would get the hint. With T.K., there had never been a need to force conversation. They were just always comfortable with each other whether they were talking, sleeping, or just sitting together in silence.

She hadn't even realized that she had slipped into sleep when a gentle brush on her shoulder pulled her out of it. It was dark outside the window and all of the cabin lights had been turned off for the passengers' comfort. Beside her, Yolei and Hawkmon were snoring loudly.

Kari didn't have to turn her head to know it had been T.K. who had awoken her.

"Sorry to wake you up," he whispered in her ear, "I have to talk to you."

Kari nodded. She had known this would happen eventually.

T.K. stood up in the aisle and gestured towards an empty row further back. She followed him in the dark to sit down beside him. From across the aisle, Patamon and Gatomon watched, their big digital eyes sparkling in the darkness.

"Kari," T.K. began, but quickly closed his mouth, not sure where to begin.

"You know now," she finished for him.

He looked down at the floor, nodding his head in confirmation.

"Did he tell you?"

"No. It was when they released the Golden Digi-Eggs. I felt…well, I guess I don't really know what I felt, but…"

"You don't have to explain it to me, T.K., I felt it too."

"And then I just knew…" he trailed off, staring thoughtfully at the back of the chair in front of them.

"It was like that for me too," Kari admitted. "When Azulongmon contacted me and told me about the Spheres and Myotismon's failed plan. He asked me if I knew why he was telling me and I did. I just knew."

"You're the Sphere of Light," he said, finally looking up into her eyes, "and I'm the Sphere of Hope."


	8. Chapter 8

The Ultimate Summer Vacation

**Chapter 8**

When they reached New York City once again, they said a sad farewell to Willis, who, to both Davis and T.K.'s dislike, said goodbye to Kari with a kiss on the cheek. The six kids promised to see each other again one day in the digital world before the five Japanese digi-destineds began their trek to Mimi's penthouse.

While Davis, Yolei, and Cody "oohed" and "ahhed" over the wonder of Mimi's home, Kari couldn't hide the distance she was feeling from the rest of the group. Well, she couldn't hide it from T.K. at least.

He found her later that night long after the others had gone to sleep to ask her about it. It was a warm night for that time of year in New York City, though it was chilly on Mimi's terrace. T.K. slid the heavy door open silently to see Kari leaning against the balcony railing, staring out at the city lights. She was shivering in her thin tank top so was greatly pleased when T.K. draped the blanket he had brought with him across her shoulders.

He leaned beside her and was lost in the wonder of the city as well.

"Something's not right, Kari," he said, breaking the silence. "There's still something you haven't told me."

He turned to look at her but she refused to meet his eyes. While he knew much more of the puzzle, T.K. still could not figure it out. He could accept that he was supposedly a "sphere," but he had no clue what that meant…or how it had anything to do with Mimi and their trip to New York.

T.K. took a step closer to Kari. Gently, he took her arms and pulled her toward him. Surprisingly she didn't resist, giving in to his embrace.

"Kari, you know you can tell me anything," he whispered. She nodded her head against his chest, but when he lifted her chin he was shocked to see tears in her eyes.

"We're not like them, T.K.," she said, gesturing to the apartment where their friends were all sound asleep. "We're not human."

T.K. couldn't help but laugh. "Of course we're humans," he said with a smile, "we're flesh and blood and bone." He pinched the skin of his arm to prove his point.

"No. We were made to look like humans. We're something else. We'll never grow old. Everyone we know will die and we'll still look exactly like this."

The smile faded from T.K.'s face. "Are you sure? How can you be sure?" But even as he asked, T.K. knew her words were true. She stepped out of his arms to lean back on the railing while he stood frozen in place.

After a while, he broke the silence again. "Immortality doesn't have to be a bad thing, you know. Think of all the things we could do and places we could go."

Kari laughed, startling him a little. "Oh, T.K. I should've known you'd find a way to be positive about this."

He laughed too, taking another step towards her. "Kari," he said slowly, hesitating to find the right words. "I'm glad it's you." His face flushed, "I mean, you're the only person I would want to spend eternity with."

Kari's eyes widened as she realized what he was implying, but then she smiled. "I guess you are kinda stuck with me," she joked.

She reached up to place her fingers against the side of his cheek. The distance between them was rapidly decreasing when suddenly, there was an enormous flash of light and the sky ripped open above them. Instantaneously, the earth quaked in the city streets far below them, pitching them across the balcony. In their fall, T.K. managed to wrap his arms around Kari's waist, twisting them so that she landed on him and not the concrete floor.

Their bodies never hit the floor, however. Kari had squeezed her eyes shut in the explosion, but when she opened them she couldn't believe her surroundings. They were no longer in the city, in fact, if it were possible, they were in the exact opposite of a city.

They were in the middle of a grassy meadow, surrounded on all sides by tall thin trees donned with garlands of white blossoms. Sunlight was streaming down on them so brightly they had to squint their eyes to see anything at all. The grass beneath them was thick and lush, spotted everywhere with beautiful tiny white flowers.

"I guess we're not in Kansas anymore," T.K. said he helped Kari to her feet.

"What happened? Are we in heaven? Did we die back there?"

"I thought you said we couldn't die," T.K. replied.

"No, I said we couldn't grow old." T.K. still didn't understand which was which but he had learned by now to roll with the punches, and that had been one hell of a punch. T.K. reached around his body, expecting to find bruises that would ache later but was extremely surprised to find none. There wasn't a scratch on his body. Maybe Kari was right, maybe they had died.

He turned to share his discovery but found her standing a few feet away from him, exactly in the center of the meadow. Her eyes were closed with her face uplifted, and with how much she resembled an angel at that moment, T.K. was almost completely sure they had died and gone to heaven.

"What is it Kari?" he asked, when he had trouble identifying the expression on her face.

She opened her eyes and turned towards him, and said with a wide smile, "Peace."

T.K. breathed in the air of this world and felt exactly what she had. Everything about this place was calm and relaxed. There was no anger or fear or negativity.

Above the tree tops, T.K. sensed something nearing. Kari nodded when he told her, already recognizing the floating blue structure and the two winged ones on either side of it. As it arrived, T.K. recognized the friend he had met once many weeks previously, Azulongmon, who was followed by Angemon and Angewomon.

"Angemon?" T.K. asked, "what is this place? How did we get here?"

"Why, T.K.," Azulongmon chucked. "You don't recognize your home?"

T.K. turned to face Kari, but her eyes were stony.

"I thought you would be pleased to return," Azulongmon said, acknowledging Kari's apparent unhappiness.

"You didn't say it would be so soon, Azulongmon," she said quietly.

"What do you mean, Kari? What's going on?" T.K. asked.

Kari turned to face T.K., tears in her eyes once again. "This is where we live. This is where we have to spend eternity."

It took T.K. several moments to find the bad part of the situation. This was paradise; surely spending eternity here wouldn't be so bad. He thought of Azulongmon's words, however, and realized what Kari already knew. "We can't go back to our world."

"What?" Azulongmon asked, appalled. "Why would you want to go back? It's dangerous there. Here you are safe, and you will have your digimon friends."

"But not their families," Angewomon answered for Kari. "Humans get very attached to their companions," she attempted to explain but Azulongmon just laughed.

"It seems I made you two too humanlike. You realize that you will outlive them a zillion times over?"

Kari struggled to hold back a sob as she nodded her head. T.K. stepped closer to grasp her hand in his.

"Please, Azulongmon," T.K. begged, "Can't we please have more time? Time, at least, to say goodbye?"

Azulongmon looked pained. "I know in my cores that this is a bad decision, and I know Baihumon will definitely not approve, but I think it could be arranged."  
Kari and T.K. breathed sighs of relief.

"I will give you until your eighteenth birthdays," Azulongmon continued. Kari felt like cheering, that was more time than she had ever even hoped for. She and T.K. would have years to explain everything to their parents. She turned to T.K., throwing her arms around his neck.

"Thank you," was all T.K. could say through Kari's hug.

"Angemon, Angewomon," Azulongmon said to the two digimon who were also celebrating, "you two had better stick with them at all times. The universe can't afford for anything else to happen to them."

Angewomon nodded and Angemon said, "We won't be alone in our efforts. The other digi-destineds and their digimon will always be willing to help."

Azulongmon nodded his approval before preparing to send them back to their world. Before they left, T.K. took one last glance around the serene meadow, knowing that by the time he came back here all that he'd remember were the tranquil sensations. It seemed a long way to his eighteenth birthday; in fact, it would be almost another third of his current life, but less than zero percent of his total life, if he was to live forever. Forever. That's a long time, he thought, and even longer than he could imagine.

For once, Kari didn't have an explanation for what happened to them next. One moment they were standing in the meadow and one bright flash of light later they were back in New York City. When Kari opened her eyes, however, it didn't feel like merely a blink; her eyelids felt heavy like after a long night's rest. The sun was still beginning to rise in the sky, casting a rosy hue over the balcony where they were lying wrapped in the blanket T.K. had brought her the night before. The warm happy feeling of the meadow was still permeating the air around them.

It took Kari several moments to realize that she was lying on top of T.K., his arms fastened tightly around her waist. The weight on her lower legs, she did recognize, and looked down to see Gatomon and Patamon asleep as well.

"Good morning," T.K. said as he stirred beneath her. "How did we get back here?" he asked, looking around at their surroundings.

"I'm not sure," Kari said, nuzzling her head back onto his chest. Her whole body felt numb and tingly in a very pleasant way.

"This is all really happening, isn't it?" T.K. asked.

Kari repositioned herself so that she could meet his eyes. "Well, technically speaking nothing is happening for several years, but yeah, it's real."

"There's just one thing I still haven't figured out," he said.

Kari smiled, "What's that, T.K.?"

"Why couldn't you tell me any of this before?"

Kari's smile fell. "I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't want you to be mad at me."

This time T.K. laughed. "Why would I be mad at you? This isn't your fault, Kari. Even if it was, I still could never be mad at you." He ran his fingers through her tousled hair.

"Do you forgive me?" she asked.

"On one condition," he replied. "That you promise not to keep things from me again."

"I promise," Kari said with a smile, "that I will never keep anything secret from you for the rest of my life." She placed extra emphasis on the last part of the sentence.

Her heart (or whatever it really was) began to beat heavily in her chest for the next moment, T.K.'s lips were pressed against hers.

What to them felt like only a second later, they heard a knock from the other side of the sliding glass door. T.K. and Kari flew apart as if they had been pushed, looking up to see Mimi smiling back at them.

"Breakfast is ready!" Mimi said as she propped open the door. "Oh, and just to warn you, you might not want to let Davis catch you doing that!" Mimi gave them a wink before heading back into the apartment.

Kari smiled at T.K. as she took his hand to follow Mimi back inside, both grateful for the time they had left with their friends, choosing not to think about the day far in the future when they'd have to leave them forever.


	9. Chapter 9

The Ultimate Summer Vacation

**Chapter 9**

T.K.'s eighteenth birthday arrived one cold night in late January. He stared at the clock on his bedroom wall, watching the second hand of the clock tick toward midnight while Kari dozed on his bed beside him. She had snuck into his room from the terrace as she usually did on weekend nights after Tai fell asleep. Gatomon was by her side, and while both she and Patamon were still wide awake, not a word was spoken.

As midnight neared, T.K. wished for the zillionth time that he had asked Azulongmon to be clearer when he had told them they had until their eighteenth birthdays. "Your" eighteenth birthdays, he had said, but their birthdays were months apart. Whose eighteenth birthday had he meant?

Sighing, he gave up watching the clock and moved over to wrap his body around Kari's.

"Is it time yet?" she asked sleepily, stirring upon his touch.

"No, five more minutes," he replied, glancing up at the clock as if to make sure time was still moving at the same speed.

She looked up at him. "I don't want you to leave without me," she said, voicing her biggest fear of the past few years. Her birthday wasn't until September. If he left now, she wasn't sure she would be able to handle being away from him for that long, even if it meant they'd be together forever after that.

He kissed her lips softly. "I don't want to go yet either." Despite having the years to explain everything to their families, neither of them had yet. Matt, Tai, and the other digi-destineds knew everything, of course, but although T.K. had tried many times, he still hadn't found the right way to tell his parents.

"I hope I have 'til September too," T.K. said, thinking about everything he'd miss if he left now. Besides explaining everything to his parents, he and Kari were supposed to graduate from high school in the spring. He supposed in the long run his diploma wouldn't matter to him, at least, but he knew it was important to his mother. He'd miss another summer with his friends, the last one they'd have together before everyone leaves for college.

"T.K.," Patamon cried, pointing up at the clock. Kari sqeezed his hand as they watched the clock drag torturously along the last minute to twelve o'clock.

He turned to look in her eyes instead. She leaned in so their foreheads were touching. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered back. The clock hit midnight and they squeezed their eyes shut tightly, expecting that bright white flash and quaking that had hit them on Mimi's balcony all those years ago.

But nothing happened.

There was an audible sigh as all four of them breathed out in relief. Then Kari laughed, and squeezed her love tightly, kissing his face. He kissed her back passionately.

"You know what this means, though, don't you?" he asked seriously.

"What's that, T.K.?" she laughed.

"We have to tell our parents. Tomorrow. No more putting it off."

"But we have until September," Gatomon said. "You can afford to wait a few more months."

"No," Kari said, "T.K.'s right. We shouldn't wait any longer. It's not going to be easy, but we have to."  
"It can't be worse than telling the rest of the team," Patamon said sleepily as he curled up beside Gatomon on the foot of the bed.

Kari suppressed a laugh remembering the varying reactions from their friends. It hadn't been long after learning about their future that they'd decided to share it with their friends. The secret turned out to be not so easy to keep. Davis, for one, caught onto the changes that had occurred in T.K. and Kari's relationship and he had not been pleased. When he began challenging T.K. to fight him for Kari, they decided to tell him everything and he cried more than Yolei and Mimi did, which was a lot.

Besides the crying, Yolei and Mimi, on the other hand, handled things very well. Although they both lean toward the dramatic side, they understood the importance of the duties Kari and T.K. were required to perform. Cody and Ken both reacted in their typical stoic manner.

While Joe was disbelieving and Sora was deeply concerned, it was Izzy's reaction which surprised them most of all. After sharing the news, Izzy simply nodded his head, and stated that he already knew, which, Of course, made T.K. and Kari's jaws hit the floor, since they had lived their whole lives until then believing they were human beings like everyone else.

"I remember coming across some strange information while I was hacking into the digi-world's databases. I couldn't figure out then what it meant and I can't remember exactly what it said…something about angels, guardians, and the balance of hope and light... I didn't know then it referred to you guys, but now I see that it makes perfect sense," he told them.

All of these confrontations were simple compared to how they had told their brothers. Kari still shudders at the memory of that awful night. They had begun by preparing dinner for their two elder brothers one night at T.K.'s apartment. Somewhere between the second and third courses, however, the night took a very sour turn from the extravagant evening they had planned.

That is to say, the night had been going very well until Tai, in the middle of a conversation about the digital world, looked up from his plate straight into Kari's eyes and asked her if she was pregnant.

"What?" T.K. asked, his eyes literally popping out of his head.

"Tai!" Kari yelled, despite the blush that was spreading across her face. "Are you kidding me? We're only fourteen years old!"

"So that's a no?" Tai asked again, although the only answer he got was a plate thrown at him.

T.K. looked to Matt for help, but Matt just sighed in relief. "Thank God," Matt said, looking at Tai, "that's what I thought they were going to tell us too."

"Geez Kari!" Tai yelled back at his littler sister, wiping the food and blood off his face. "You can't blame me for asking! See, Matt thought that too! It's weird we're eating steaks for dinner because something smells fishy here and it's you two! Something's up and you might as well tell us what it is."

"And if you're going to tell us that you guys are officially a couple now you could've just saved you time making us dinner because that's no secret to anyone," Matt added.

Kari hesitated, sharing a glance with T.K. who was now sitting beside her. "It's not that…" she paused, unsure of what to say next now that their plan had been interrupted.

"We're going away," T.K. said casually, as if they were planning another vacation together.

Before Tai and Matt could ask where they were going, Kari continued for T.K., "After MaloMyotismon was defeated we found out some important things about ourselves."

"We're needed to protect the worlds," T.K. said, "and not in the digi-destined kind of way, though Patamon and Gatomon will be with us when we go."

Kari couldn't hold back the tears then, "We have to go to another world," she sobbed, "and we can't come back."

"When do you leave?" Matt asked calmly, which was good because Tai was nothing but calm.

"Not for another four years," T.K. answered.

"On our eighteenth birthdays," Kari said.

"No," was all Tai could say. "Nope, I'm not letting you."

Kari wanted to laugh and cry but fortunately it was Matt who contradicted him. "Tai, they have to do this. They wouldn't leave by choice."

What followed after was chaos in Kari's memory. It took Tai a very long time to accept that his little sister was leaving him, though thankfully Matt and the others had been able to comfort him then. He'd need them again soon, she thought.

"I don't know, Patamon," T.K. answered, pulling Kari out of her memories. "I think telling our parents could be just as bad."

"Remember Tai's reaction?" Kari asked the two digimon, "Now multiply it by ten, and that's how my parents are going to feel, because they don't understand the digital world or how important what we're doing is going to be."

"My mom too," said T.K. "I've told her a lot about the digital world but I still don't think she really gets it. She won't get this."

Kari and T.K. laid down across his bed, pulling the covers over themselves. Kari thought about what her parents would think when she told them she was leaving. Should she try and explain everything to them or would it be easier to tell them something else? If she told them she was going to heaven, they'd think she was committing suicide. If she told them she was going to the digital world they wouldn't understand why she couldn't come back this time.

"Do you want to be together when we tell them?" T.K. asked her.

Kari considered that idea. She hadn't pictured telling them alone, but now that she thought about it, she realized they would think she and T.K. were running away to live together. Which they were, but not quite in the way they would assume.

"I think I want to tell them on my own," Kari decided, if only to save T.K. from her father's reaction.

"Okay," he said, leaning in to kiss her again. She kissed him back and let his fingers trail over her body underneath her pajamas.

"What do you think it'll be like there, T.K.?" she asked.

He paused. "What do you mean? We were there once, remember? It's beautiful and peaceful, and wonderful."

"But what do you think our lives will be like? What are we going to do for eternity? Will we get to do this?"

"Of course we'll be able to do this," he said. "If we can't then I don't want to go," he joked.

"I'm serious," she said. "Forever is a long time. What if we get bored? What if you get sick of me?"

"That's not possible, Kari," he said. He leaned on his elbow to look at her better. "This is how I see it," he began, "I feel like going there will be like going to the digital world for the first time, well, except without all of the evil digimon. What I mean, basically, is that it will be like another big adventure. A never-ending vacation."

She smiled, kissing his mouth. "I like looking at it that way. But you're really sure you won't get sick of me?"

"I'm sure," he said, kissing her back. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."


	10. Chapter 10

The Ultimate Summer Vacation

**Chapter 10**

Kari didn't think she could ever have a day more depressing than the day she told her parents she'd be leaving them forever.

"Kari, I just don't understand," her mom repeated through her sobs. She had begun crying just after Kari had sat them down to speak with them. Her parents, like Matt and Tai, had automatically assumed she was pregnant. So, after many reassurances by both her and Tai, she had been able to calm them down and tell them what was happening to her and T.K.

"What do you mean you're not human?" her father asked when her speech was finished. Kari could detect the terror in his face, but alongside that was a trace of terror.

This time her mother laughed instead of sobbed. "Of course she's human; I was in labor with her for nine hours. This is ridiculous; you're my daughter."

Kari sighed, "I know, Mom, of course I'm your daughter. But I'm not just that, I'm more, don't you see?"

"She has to save the world again," Tai said, faking a smile in an attempt to better explain.

"I'm still missing it though," her mother stammered, her tears falling freely down her face. "Why can't you ever come back? Whenever you and your friends went to the digital world before you could always come back…"

"I'm not going to the digital world, Mom," Kari tried to explain again. "It's a different world."

Kari's father gave her a solemn nod. "I don't like this one bit," he said, "but I trust you. You wouldn't leave us by choice so it must be important." He turned to Kari's mother for support but she just continued to cry into Tai's shoulder. Kari exchanged a glance with her older brother and they both understood there would be nothing they could say to comfort their mother until she calmed down.

That calm didn't arrive until many hours later. Kari was in the process of packing an overnight bag to take to T.K.'s when she snuck out the balcony again later. It took her 0.2 seconds to stash the bag under her bed when she was interrupted by the soft knock on her door.

Her mother's eyes were still bloodshot when she entered the room and took a seat on Kari's unmade bed. Unsure of where she should sit Kari stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess," her mother apologized, "I just…I love you so much Kari…" She started crying again, but thankfully not the heavy sobs like before. Kari sat down on the bed beside her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"I love you too, Mom."

They held each other like that for a while before her mom broke away from the embrace.

"And you said T.K. is going with you?"

Kari nodded. "And Gatomon and Patamon."

Gatomon jumped on the bed at the mention of her name. "Don't worry Mrs. Kamiya, I'll keep Kari safe."

Kari's mother smiled for the first time as she scratched Gatomon behind her ears. "I know, Gatomon." Then she sighed. "Kari, I know you and T.K. love each other, but are you sure you've thought this through? Are you sure he's the one you want to spend the rest of your life with?"

Kari laughed. "Well, first of all I don't really have a choice about that. Second of all, yes, yes, and yes. I've known that since I was eight years old."

Her smile made her mother smile. She reached out to smooth her hair and sighed again. "I just keep thinking about all the things you'll never get to do. I've been fantasizing about your wedding day since you were born."

Kari felt the blood drain out of her face. Wedding day? She was too young to be married.

"Or grandchildren," Kari's mother continued.

Gatomon laughed at the expression on Kari's face. "Kari, your eyes are as wide as mine," she joked.

Kari laughed and forced herself to blink.

"Just think about it," Kari's mother said as she left the room.

And Kari did think about it. Surprisingly, it was for the first time. It had simply been a given for her that she would be with T.K. forever. She never thought she'd need a fancy white dress or a ceremony to confirm it. Her mother would though; this would not be the last time she'd hear about it. She wondered if T.K. had thought about it. She knew she wouldn't be able to sneak out to see him tonight, not now that her mother had regained her speech. She couldn't imagine her mother's hysteria if she came back to Kari's room and found her bed empty in the middle of the night, especially after she just told them she had nine months left on Earth.

Would T.K. want to get married? What about T.K.'s family? What about their friends and everyone from school? She already knew what rumors would fly about her if they announced an engagement. She might as well register at Babies'R'Us.

That train of thought was abandoned as her cell phone began to ring. She didn't have to look at the flashing screen to know it was T.K. calling.

"Hi," she answered, trying not to let her exhaustion creep into her voice. Even after all this time she still got a rush of butterflies in her stomach as she waited for his response.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Uhh, well, I guess it was what I could have expected. They asked if I was pregnant, and then mom cried a lot." She thought it was best to leave the second conversation for a better time.

"Same here, except they didn't ask about a pregnancy."

"Wow, that's a first," Kari said, reminding herself how much she liked T.K.'s mother.

"I think she was even kind of expecting it," T.K. said. "I have more to tell you though, are you coming over tonight?"

"No," Kari said reluctantly, "not tonight. I'm afraid my mom's going to freak out again."

"Ok," T.K. said, "that's cool." Kari could tell by his voice that he was disappointed, but Kari was already stretching out across her own bed. She hoped her future bed in the other world would be just as comfortable as home. If that world had beds, that is.

"See you tomorrow?" she asked. The next day was a Sunday, so they'd have plenty of time to spend together.

"Sure. Want to come over here?"

"Okay, see you in the morning!"

"'Kay, good night. I love you."

"I love you too."

Kari hung up the phone and wiped the goofy grin off her face that always followed a conversation with T.K.

"Hey, Kari," Gatomon said while she curled up on the foot of her bed, "if you and T.K. get married would that make me the 'Mon' of Honor? Or would it be Best 'Mon'?"

Kari laughed and got into bed as well. "It would have to be 'Mon' of Honor. Patamon would be the Best 'Mon.'"

She fell asleep laughing at Gatomon's silly joke, but then dreamt of beautiful blonde haired blue eyed babies.

It was one of those dreams that was so vivid and lifelike she couldn't shake it all morning while she prepared for the day. It wasn't until she reached T.K.'s apartment and the door swung open to reveal his perfect face that images finally slipped from the forefront of her mind.

He greeted her with a tight hug and tender kiss that made her knees want to give out. He led her inside and sat her down on the comfy living room couch.

"How's your mom doing?" he asked while he slid an arm around her.

"Better, I think," she replied, leaning into him. "She didn't cry when she saw me this morning." This was true; Kari's mom had winked at her when Kari had told her where she was going.

"You know, T.K.," Kari said seriously, sitting up so she could look at his face. "My mom had the craziest idea yesterday. I haven't really taken it seriously; I just want to know what you think…well…I think that she thinks we should get married…"

T.K. smiled, but Kari didn't see the surprise she was expecting to see in his face.

"And how do you feel about that, Kari?"

"What do you mean how do I feel about that?" she asked, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable. "Why are you not shocked like I was?" Her face felt hot, the room felt hot and stuffy. "Wait a second…" It was starting to hit her now, so hard she could barely breathe… "Are you going to ask me to marry you?"

The smile on T.K.'s face widened. She could see Gatomon and Patamon peeking out from behind the kitchen doorway. "You're in on this!" she yelled at Gatomon, who tried to duck back into the safety of the kitchen.

"Kari," T.K. said, taking her hand in his. He reached into his pocket with the other.

"Oh God," she said, her eyes probably as big as her face again.

He pulled out a small black velvet box and placed it into her palm. "This was my grandmother's ring. My mom gave it to me last night."

She opened the box slowly, feeling as weepy as her mother as the tears started to build up in her eyes. Inside was the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen. The band was simple silver and the stone a very large round cut diamond. Kari knew her cheeks had to be bright red. Her anxiety was almost to the point of being uncontrollable.

"T.K., wait," Kari said before he could "pop the question." "We don't have to do this. I know it's what our parents would want, but honestly, it doesn't matter to me." She looked up at him but saw only confusion and a little bit of hurt in his eyes. "Oh, I'm not explaining this right," she cried. "What I mean is…I don't need a ring, I don't need a wedding…I love you and I always will."

She reached closer so she could kiss him but he stopped her.

"Kari, this isn't about what our parents want us to do. We're spending the rest of our lives together in a way no one else will ever understand. A wedding here, with all of our family and friends, would put it into a perspective that they can understand. Plus, it'd be one last chance to see everyone together. The only thing I want more than to marry you is to be with you, so Kari Kamiya, will you marry me?"

She nodded her acceptance. "I'd do anything for you, T.K."

This time he moved in to kiss her and as he slid the ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand she already felt the weight of it as not just a shiny bauble but also an extension of herself. She broke away from his kiss so she could admire it.

"I just have one question," Kari asked, looking back up at him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Did my mother talk you into this?"

He laughed before confessing that she had called him last night. "It was just a coincidence," he assured her, that he and her mother

She laughed with him, somewhat unbelievingly, as she curled back into him on the couch. It wasn't long before Gatomon and Patamon joined them, arguing over who would be "Best 'Mon,'" and despite all of her nervousness about what would happen to them in September, for once she felt peacefully calm and blissfully happy.


	11. Epilogue

**The Ultimate Summer Vacation**

**Epilogue**

The wedding of Kari Kamiya and T.K. Takaishi was both a beautiful and grievous affair. Nine months of planning had allowed Mrs. Kamiya just enough time to plan such an extravagant wedding that would have sufficiently fulfilled the dreams of any other girl beside her daughter. To Kari, the ceremony was just a silly and unnecessary tradition to placate her mother. And the reception was just an excuse to say goodbye. The more Kari thought about it, the more she dreaded it.

In those last few months, escaping to find alone time with T.K. had been her only source of sanity. He was ever supportive and loving and wonderful throughout the whole shebang, which was why she sent him a "Help me now!" text from her dressing room about half an hour before they were due to say "I do."

"I'm just going pee, mom!" Kari called as she slid out the door, hitching up her long white taffeta skirt. Once free from the madness of cooing female relatives she took a deep breath and ran. She kept running until she reached the side door and threw herself out of it and into T.K.'s arms.

"What were we thinking?" she cried. "How come our last day on Earth has to be all about us?"

T.K. kissed her forehead and wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Don't you see, Kari? It's easier for them to focus on us getting married then thinking about us leaving forever. Everyone will smile and congratulate us and be happy instead of sad. It's better this way."

She sighed into his chest. He was right. He was always right.

"Are you scared?" she whispered.

"No. I know everything will be alright as long as we're together." His hands were still cupping her face. "I love you."

"I love you too." She lifted her face up to kiss him, but right before their lips met, the door behind them slammed open.

"No!" Yolei screamed. "T.K.! You're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding!"

"It's bad luck!" echoed Mimi.

Their faces were so hysterical that both T.K. and Kari burst out laughing, which helped lighten both their moods.

Kari kissed her groom on the cheek and squeezed his hands. "I'll see you in a few minutes," she told him, winking as she stepped back inside the church.

T.K. winked back and followed them inside while the girls whisked Kari back to the dressing room. His heart fluttered for a second watching her go. During the past few months it had become physically painful for him to be away from her. They were so dependent upon each other that he always felt stronger when she was near.

"There you are!" Tai yelled at him as he ran out from another side door.

"We thought you might have gotten cold feet," Matt joked.

Tai glared at both of them as he dragged the two boys back inside to the alter where the priest was waiting. The church was filled with people T.K. loved, but he didn't want to think about them yet. That was for the reception, right now everything was about Kari and him. He took a deep breath as the music started and Kari's bridesmaids began to walk down the aisle. Mimi, Sora, and Yolei all smiled at him, their digimon, Palmon, Biyomon, and Hawkmon escorting them, which had been one of Kari's ideas. He turned to his left where Matt, Tai, Davis, Gabumon, Agumon, and Veemon were also smiling. To his surprise, Tai was even trying to hide a tear behind the back of his hand.

Then came Gatomon carrying a bouquet of flowers. Patamon flew beside her before landing on T.K.'s shoulder with a soft thump. T.K. supposed the ceremony was just about Gatomon and Patamon as it was about Kari and him, afterall, the four of them would be spending forever together.

The music changed and T.K. felt the familiar thrumming in his heart. The doors in the back of the church opened, revealing Kari linked arm in arm with her father as she made her descent. The light seemed to reflect off the white of her dress, surrounding her in an ethereal glow, or maybe that was just her light, T.K. thought. He smiled to himself, remembering the first time he had seen her glow like that in the sewers of the digital world. He had thought he was going crazy, until all the Numemon began worshipping her. He glanced upward toward the balcony where many of their digital friends were watching and was not surprised to see more then a few Numemon in attendance.

As she neared, their eyes met and he could see all of the worry leave her. Her father lifted her thin gauzy veil and kissed her forehead before placing her hand in T.K.'s. After that, everything seemed to happen very quickly. The priest rambled on for a while but the only thing T.K. noticed was Kari's grip on his fingers. They exchanged vows, although "As long as we both shall live" seemed somewhat unnecessary to T.K. Then they finally kissed and exited while their family and friends all applauded (and Tai tried even harder to hide his tears).

The reception, however, was a different story completely. After much disagreement, Kari had compromised with her mother on keeping all of the traditional events short and sweet. They cut the cake, shared their first dance, danced with their parents, let Tai and Matt give speeches, but then after dinner was their time.

They decided to host the reception outside, in the large meadow beside the church with a tent for their human guests and the open sky for their digimon guests, both lit up by a large collection of lanterns and candles. There were so many friendly faces to see and greet that no matter how cheerful a face T.K. and Kari attempted to portray, the gravity of the situation weighed heavily upon them.

T.K. watched solemnly as Kari drifted from table to table to hug her relatives, kiss her friends on the cheek, and thank every digimon that had come to their world to see their wedding and say their goodbyes. He tried to follow her, but his eyes were constantly drawn to his watch were the hands were ticking closer and closer to midnight, when it would be Kari's eighteenth birthday. Each time she sensed him watching the clock she'd glance back to where he stood by the head table and he'd shake his head to let her know she still had time, and she'd move on to the next group of friends.

At five minutes to midnight, a bright light flashed across the sky, lighting it like a firework show. The guests all "oohed" collectively when from the flash, the long silvery winged form of Azulongmon appeared. Kari sidled next to T.K., taking his hand in hers.

"It's time," Azulongmon's voice echoed across the field. This was followed by sobs from both Kari's mother and Yolei. Then, a beam of pure white light appeared from the heavens spiraling straight towards Earth, just beyond the last table.

The guests all rose to their feet for one final goodbye. Together they made one long aisle leading from the head table to the beam of light. T.K. let go of Kari's hand to wrap his arm around her waist as he led her to take their first steps toward the light, with Gatomon and Patamon following in their footsteps. First they passed their digimon friends, so many of whom had helped them or been there for them through tough times. From the smallest Numemon to the largest Monzaemon, all of their friends were there waving goodbye and wishing them good luck.

T.K. glanced down at Kari, relieved to see that she was smiling through her tears as they approached their fellow digi-destineds. First came Sora, then Biyomon, Izzy, Tentomon, Mimi, Palmon, Joe, Gomamon, Ken, Wormmon, Cody, Armadillomon, Yolei, Hawkmon, Davis, Veemon, Agumon, and Gabumon.

They paused for only a brief second to say one final farewell to Kari's parents, T.K.'s mom and dad. Then Kari broke her contact with her new husband to throw her arms around her brother one last time. They were both crying as she kissed his cheek and told him that she loved him.

T.K. shook Matt's outstretched hand then pulled him into a tight hug. "I love you, little brother," Matt said.

"Take care of Mom."

"Take care of the world," he answered smiling.

T.K. smiled back, "I'll do my best."

Kari turned back to T.K. and took his hand once more as they approached the light. Gatomon and Patamon stepped into it first, and once inside they somehow digivolved into Angemon and Angewomon even though neither Kari nor T.K. had brought their D-3s with them.

Kari turned her face up to look at T.K. She remembered what he had told her earlier; that everything would be alright as long as they were together. She smiled at him. "I love you."

"I love you too," he told her.

And with that they took their final step on Earth and entered the light that would take them to their home where they would spend eternity providing all of the worlds with enough hope and light to keep away the darkness.

The End


End file.
